Carson city officials are seeking to declare a local emergency in an effort to pressure the state and an oil company to speed the cleanup of a contaminated housing tract where residents have been advised not to eat vegetables or fruit from their yards and to limit contact with the soil. Testing in 2008 revealed that the soil and groundwater beneath many of the 285 homes in the Carousel tract, which sits atop a former Shell Oil tank farm, contain benzene and petroleum. The oil company, which owned the land before it was developed into homes and which state officials said was responsible for its cleanup, has said that the chemicals do not pose an immediate health risk.

WIMBLEDON, England - The abnormal has become the new normal at Wimbledon, where one of the women's semifinalists was playing too poorly a year ago to compete here and the lone remaining past champion was eliminated Tuesday in the quarterfinals "Tennis, it's kind of a crazy game," 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli said after defeating American Sloane Stephens, 6-4, 7-5, in a rain-delayed match to advance to Thursday's semifinals. "But that's also the magic of it. " There was far more craziness than magic Tuesday in the quarterfinals, producing a final four so unlikely one of them couldn't grasp it. Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, who has one career tournament win to her credit at age 27, upset No. 8 seed and 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, on Centre Court to set up a semifinal against Bartoli on Thursday.

Running back Rushel Shell has decided not to transfer to UCLA because he wants to remain close to his Pennsylvania home, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak on the subject. Shell announced in April that he intended to come to UCLA. He had spent one season at Pittsburgh, where he gained 614 yards rushing. But Shell, who has twin daughters living in Pennsylvania, decided the distance was too great. He hopes to rejoin the Pittsburgh team.

WASHINGTON - Conservative Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte announced her support Sunday for the Senate's bipartisan immigration overhaul, lending momentum to the comprehensive measure. "Our immigration system is completely broken," the New Hampshire lawmaker said on CBS' "Face the Nation. " "This is a thoughtful, bipartisan solution to a tough problem. " Ayotte, who was elected in 2010, is the first Republican to endorse the measure apart from the four in the Senate's so-called Gang of Eight who crafted the bill: Sens.

Heavy shelling pounded the besieged Syrian town of Qusair on Monday, killing at least three civilians and injuring several more, as government forces made another attempt to storm the strategic junction, according to opposition activists in and near the town. Qusair-based rebels aided by opposition fighters from other parts of Syria were able to hold off government troops and Hezbollah fighters, destroying three tanks and killing dozens of fighters, said Bashir Al-Saleh, an activist with the Aleppo-based Al Tawheed Brigade stationed outside the town.

It's a debate that's left more than a few scientists shell-shocked: Just how did the turtle come to acquire its unique suit of armor? Some have insisted for decades that the turtle's carapace evolved from bony, scale-like growths that developed on the skin of ancient reptiles, similar to the armor found on ankylosaur dinosaurs or armadillos. Another theory, however, argues that the shell is the result of a different transformation. Instead of forming from so-called osteoderms, the shell actually formed when the ribs of certain reptiles began to grow ever broader and straighter, losing their barrel-like curvature.

Nicki Minaj says she is diving deep into her rap roots for her upcoming project. "I've been getting back to that place where I was before I dropped my first album, which is 'kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill everything,'" Minaj explained to Hot 97 personalities Peter Rosenberg and Ebro Darden. "I agree that Nicki Minaj should focus on rap ... now. " Minaj spoke with the controversial New York radio station to bury the hatchet after Rosenberg had bashed her pop-leaning smash “Starships” before she was supposed to headline the station's annual Summer Jam festival last June.

Many an inebriated college student may have thought about how good tacos wrapped in a Doritos shell would taste, but a prison inmate is suing Taco Bell, saying the idea for the fast-food hit was his. Gary Anthony Cole, 49, filed a federal lawsuit May 15 in Dallas against Taco Bell, which is owned by Irvine-based Yum Brands; Frito-Lay, which owns Doritos; and Pepsi Co. Cole claims he created the idea for the Doritos Locos Tacos for his proposed...

DAMASCUS, Syria - White daffodils and violet daisies waxed aromatic from the crystal vase on the young couple's dining table. Friends had brought the flowers as a gesture of farewell, an all-too-common sentiment these days in the Syrian capital, where even some of the most resolute families are packing up and moving out. The exodus includes young, middle-class professionals born and raised in Damascus. Others are merchants, doctors, and teachers, the backbone of the capital's economy.

Chef Emeril Lagasse will bring his passion for seafood to three of his Las Vegas restaurants during a celebration of soft shell crab May 6-12. Delmonico Steakhouse , Emeril's New Orleans Fish House and Table 10 each will feature three to four soft shell crab dishes, with different offerings for lunch and dinner. Prices will range from $20 to $40. The evening menu at Delmonico Steakhouse, which is inside the Venetian , will feature a crispy soft shell crab Louis salad.